INDUSTRY NEWS

EPIC names 21 October as Day of Photonics

The European Photonics Industry Consortium (EPIC) has designated 21 October as the Day of Photonics. The announcement was made at EPIC's Annual General Meeting. The day aims to raise awareness about the photonics sector, and will include activities and outreach to public authorities, students, investors, and stakeholders.

The date of the day was chosen to commemorate when the General Conference of Weights and Measures adopted the value of 299,792.458km/s for the speed of light on 21 October 1983. This feature concerns all photonics technologies, therefore it is an ideal occasion to celebrate a technology that encompasses such broad fields as photovoltaic solar energy, laser, LED lighting, displays, optical communication, and all photonics technologies.

The event will be held over numerous countries and will encompass demonstrations on the impact that photonics technology has on day-to-day life. The intention is to show the breadth of photonics applications that exist within the industry. ‘EPIC recognises how essential it is to present the endless opportunities that our industry provides to the general public. I am proud that EPIC is embarking on this initiative and look forward to spreading the word about our innovative and dynamic industry,’ said Drew Nelson, president of EPIC.

This year’s event will be complementary to the International Year of Light (IYL) 2015 initiative. John Dudley, chairman of the IYL steering committee, commented: ‘There will be several preparatory actions leading up to the International Year of Light (IYL) 2015, and I am delighted to see the initiative taken by EPIC to promote an industry-wide day of photonics. This is a perfect example of an action for 2014 that is not only exciting and interesting on its own, but also feeds-in perfectly to our aspirations for 2015 to demonstrate innovation in light technology in a tangible manner and to promote new public-industry engagement.’